Do you work at RDG? I've seen the master plan for this park and it looks like it will be one of the last things to go in as they phase the park into existence. However, with all the other facilities going in, it will be difficult to fit 18 holes in any kind of logical sequence.

I am usually a very optimistic person and look at the positive side, but I see very few on this project. First off the project is going to be one of the largest the Metro has ever seen, and on that note money will get tight and things will get cut. Problem two, if you look at the master plan you will see that an 18 hole course is proposed and it will be a part of phase 4, the next to last phase, years down the road........see previous problem. Third issue, this is going to be part of a large complex and the room allotted for disc golf will be minimal. According to the plans an 18 hole course (#15) is to be located just south of the large pond. It looks as though in order to fit an 18 hole course on the property the course will have to weave in and out of other facilities. I see a high danger factor in the design as this complex will be large and will always be very busy. After the developers look at this issue the course will either get nixed, cut to 9, or an 18 hole pitch and put.

On a positive side it will promote growth of DG and it is also nice to see that developers are starting to include DG in master plans; a great indicator of the growth and popularity of DG as a recreational activity.

If you look @ the master plan (just printed it & looked), it looks to start below the South end of the big lake... Would have to play around the lake, across the fields they assume will be empty most of the year - or something. I'd be interested to see what the actual Disc Golf course layout would be. I doubt they're that far yet, and would need consultation on how to get it done. The aerial photos show bare land, so for DG it'd be a brand new course in a park w/ young trees... yuck! Maybe it'll grow up, but don't get excited until there's more detail about the design, etc...

I played a nice course in the ATL area that was nicely done around a sports complex, but it utilized more of the surrounding lands than this one shos that it can. I'd consider the DG aspect of this design to be a marketing tool for RDG, not something that would come to fruition. It'd be nice to see a bigger course in Waukee, but will wait and see on this early news...

I see this all too often in park plans prepared by design consultants (Architects, Engineers, LA's...). They have no experience with the sport, so they don't have any concept of how much space will be needed and what it should look like. The original master plan for Pickard Park included disc golf but it was represented as a parcel of about 5 acres in an open area of the park. Luckily, Pickard had a lot of disposable area to work with and we ended up with a great product once experienced players/designers got a hold of it. This park doesn't look like it has any room to spare. Of course, the final product could change as they phase the project from year to year.

I sent a request to the project manager and designer to get input from the Club before it goes to far. They are on vacation this week, so I will get an update of what their thinking is when they return.

Steve, you are correct that consultants don't know our sport....but is that our fault or theirs....

It is a problem if they did not consult someone with disc golf experience before they finalized a master plan. I bet they got plenty of professional input on the other sports related elements. It would be a sad waste if the disc golf course is just an afterthought throw-in.

I'm pretty sure it IS an after thought throw in. How much money is DG going to bring in compared to the other attractions out there?

My point was that we have the second most courses in the country, but very few developers or design professionals know anything about the sport. There is no exposure/marketing by our organizations locally or nationally.

O_D wrote:My point was that we have the second most courses in the country, but very few developers or design professionals know anything about the sport. There is no exposure/marketing by our organizations locally or nationally.

You make a good point but it isn't that easy. I'm guessing that disc golf is roughly 95% recreational and 5% tournament/competitive play. Therefore it is extremely tough to get corporations, developers, and cities behind it due to the lack of funds it brings in. You even question it yourself.

O_D wrote:How much money is DG going to bring in compared to the other attractions out there?

If I was a non-Disc golfer and had 90 acres of land I would build a soccer/ softball complex over a disc golf course in a heartbeat. Bottom line is Soccer mom's bring in more money than disc golfers and are much better on the eyes

"I'm not impressed with aces of any kind. 95% of the time, they're just bad shots that got lucky and happened to hit the chains. Otherwise, they'd have sailed 50' past the hole." ~ Cydisc

Bringing in money is one thing, but I doubt all of these are income generating. Some of it is financed with tax money, for the good of the community. No reason they shouldn't spend it right.

I'm sure one of the reasons they don't get more input is the scarcity of professional disc golf designers. They need to make contacts, and they aren't likely to go hang out at Grandview or whatever, asking around.

irban wrote:I'm sure one of the reasons they don't get more input is the scarcity of professional disc golf designers. They need to make contacts, and they aren't likely to go hang out at Grandview or whatever, asking around.

Hell, there's no fewer than two members of the Disc Golf Course Designers group right here in Central Iowa. But, like it's been said, exposure is what we need. That's something we're currently discussing within the group; how to get more exposure for the professional designers and how to make it easier for prospective clients to find us.